When you look at industry and its relation to teams like Steelers and Packers and then think NC, you have things like past industries, tobacco, furniture, textiles, current ones like banking, research triangle, NASCAR, and then military bases.
Also, as mentioned, BBQ, moonshiners and chicken/pig farming are still viable.

Not sure we can get our name from industry, like the Steelers or Packers. So, we pick an animal I guess.

Still better than calling the team "spirit" or "blaze" or "concious" made that last one up.